Corkonians have been advised by gardaí to watch out for criminals operating in the area.
Gardaí in Cork City have issued a warning to members of the public following a spate of crimes that have been committed in the Ballinlough, Douglas and Rochestown areas over the last few weeks.
Callers to houses have pretended to be local authority employees and gained access to homes by indicating that they need to check on utilities.
Under the scam, the homeowner is kept busy talking to one of the visitors while a second one enters the house and steal property.
Homeowners are being called upon to check the identity of all callers. If a person is worried or concerned they are asked to immediately contact the gardaí.
Genuine callers should always willingly provide identification.